Eternal Claim: The New Odyssey
by Patrick O'Ceannliath
Summary: Thrown into constant battle and turmoil in the House of War, Kratos is aided by the God Dionysus, who provides him with a ship and crew, led by Captain Acoetes aboard The Neaavgi, to guide him towards his upcoming destinations. Sailing north from Mauritania, Kratos prepares to meet the foreign gods of the Northwest part of the world...ready to crush them into oblivion.
1. Chapter 1

Eternal Claim

BOOK 2: The New Odyssey

By Patrick O'Ceannliath

CHAPTER 1

WARNING: Sex scene in this Chapter

"Let me reward you, God of War." said Aphrodite teasingly.

The Goddess of Love placed her hands upon Kratos' chest as he sat upon the ship bunk, and began caressing him, while kissing him on the lips passionately. As they kissed, Kratos slipped her tunic off of her shoulders, exposing her bare breasts, and began to squeeze them gently. Aphrodite moaned in pleasure while she kissed him.

Moving her hands down lower, Aphrodite undid Kratos' tunic, letting it slide off of his waist, and began to stroke his massive, erect manhood with one of her hands, resulting in gruff moans of pleasure from Kratos. As she did this, Kratos began to kiss her neck, working his way down to her chest, sucking her perfect nipples as he squeezed them, stimulating the tips of them with his tongue. Aphrodite moaned loudly in pleasure, even moreso, when she felt one of Kratos' fingers slip into her moist vagina, her back arching as she felt his fingers move back and forth, stimulating her clit and G-spot, hitting every trigger of her divine womanhood.

She continued to stroke Kratos' penis vigorously, pressing her upper body against Kratos' as she did, the 2 divine beings caressing each others' genitals. Kissing down his chest, Aphrodite soon found herself just above Kratos' belt-line, and teased the God of War with her tongue, slowly moving it downward, around his manhood, then upward along his shaft, before taking him into her mouth. Her large lips hugged around Kratos' girth, and being she was divine, any gag reflex a mortal woman would normally have was non-existent, allowing her to take Kratos deep into her throat, as she undulated back and forth with her head. While in her mouth, Aphrodite occasionally utilized her tongue to provide extra massaging to Kratos' shaft. Kratos threw back his head in ecstasy and moaned in pleasure, grasping the back of Aphrodite's hair while she sucked him with gentle yet powerful force.

After a great deal of oral pleasure from the Goddess of Love, Kratos lifted up her head from his member, and looked into her eyes.

"And now I take you!" said Kratos forcefully.

"Spoken like a true god!" said Aphrodite.

Kratos picked Aphrodite up by her waist, and threw her onto her back, with force but not so much that it would hurt her. Kratos crawled atop Aphrodite, looking into her eyes, and drove his throbbing, stone-hard manhood into Aphrodite's vagina with a mighty thrust. Aphrodite moaned loudly in surprise and pleasure, always more than pleased with what Kratos had to offer her.

Grasping her shoulders, Kratos began to thrust his hips, slowly at first, letting her feel his every inch. Kratos growled in pleasure as he thrust, while Aphrodite let out moans of delight. Driven on by her moans of pleasure, Kratos increased his intensity of thrusting, moving his hands down to her waist. The harder and more intense he thrust, the louder Aphrodite moaned. For hours, Kratos was lost in the throes of their combined moans, and the sheer power of his thrusting. Aphrodite's moans were now turning to near-screams, and she placed her hands on Kratos' back, digging into him.

"Yes Lord Kratos! Only you!" said Aphrodite. "Yes, yes….YES, YES…..YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!"

With a mighty roar, Kratos gave a tremendous thrust that could have split a mortal woman in half, and released his divine seed deep within Aphrodite. Kratos dismounted, and rolled onto the cot next to her, the Goddess of Love on her back, drenched in sweat and fanning herself.

"By Olympus!" said Aphrodite, catching her breath. "Only…you…could ever make me…climax….Kratos."

"And no one ever will." said Kratos, pleased with himself as he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Kratos felt something prodding at his chest, and quickly stood awake, his blades in his hands, ready for battle. All he saw before him however, was Dionysus, shaking him awake. Seeing there were no threats to vanquish, Kratos put away his blades.

"What is the meaning of this intrusion?!" asked Kratos grouchily.

"My Lord, I'm sorry to interrupt your….activity." said Dionysus, noticing the naked, sleeping Aphrodite lying in bed next to him. "But Captain Acoetes has summoned us both; I think he has found your next place of battle."

"Very well then." said Kratos, standing up. "Lead the way."

Dionysus nodded, and walked towards the entrance to the cabin area, and up the stairs, with Kratos following him.

When they reached the surface, Kratos stood back for a moment, as the waves were rocking the boat back and forth violently, the wind was howling and the rain was pouring down. Nevertheless, they walked up to the helm, where Captain Acoetes was waiting for them.

"Fear not Lord Kratos." assured the Captain. "The Neaavgi cannot be sunken whatsoever, and can weather any storm, mortal or immortal."

Kratos grabbed Captain Acoetes by the collar.

"What makes you think I fear ANYTHING?!" growled Kratos.

"I beg your forgiveness, Lord Kratos." said Captain Acoetes. "What I meant to say was, 'worry not'."

Kratos released his grip from the Captain, and once he did, the Captain unveiled a spyglass, handing it to Kratos.

"Look there my Lord." said Captain Acoetes. "This will see right through any storm, any weather, and our destination is ahead."

Kratos grasped the spyglass, and looked into the lens. Ahead, he saw the coastline of an upcoming island. The coastline was green and rocky, with large cliffs, and various flowers covering the green surface. As they approached the land, the seas began to calm, and the boat stopped rocking.

"What is this land?" asked Kratos.

"I am not certain, my Lord." replied Captain Acoetes. "In fact, the closest translation I can decipher from some gibberish letterings….the locals seem to call it, simply 'Island' or 'Eesland'."

"Perhaps I can be of assistance, Lord Kratos." said a female voice behind the 3 men.

Dionysus, Kratos, and Captain Acoetes turned around, and a woman cloaked in a green, hooded robe walked before them. Unveiling her hood, a beautiful, young Greek woman's face could be seen.

"Ah, Ariadne my love." said Dionysus. "So good of you to join us. Kratos, surely you remember Ariadne."

"Of course." replied Kratos.

Ariadne kneeled before Kratos' feet.

"I, Ariadne, swear upon the River Styx, to serve you Kratos, God of War, faithfully and forever, just as all here have promised." said Ariadne, standing up. "Now that I've established that, let me help you my Lord."

Ariadne reached both her hands into the deep pockets of her robe, and came out with an object in each hand; one was a golden chalice, which she placed upon one of the ship's railings.

"This chalice can liquefy anything placed into it, and is safe for any to drink." explained Ariadne. "A gift from my dear husband. No matter what you put into it; hemlock berries, diamonds, anything, it will liquefy into a liquid safe for drinking."

Ariadne took the box in both hands, and opened it. Kratos looked at the contents inside the box, and looked half-confused, and half-disgusted.

"Why do you show me this?" asked Kratos.

The objects Kratos witnessed were 5 body parts; a human tongue, 2 human eyes, and 2 human ears.

"These are from my father, King Minos of Crete." said Ariadne. "He was a wicked king, but just as wise as he was wicked. He was boiled alive due to a trick from Daedalus and the daughters of King Colacus, and Daedalus brought me these back, as a gift, to use or give away as I may. Very few know, but my father was gifted by the gods as being able to understand any language put to his ears, read any lettering put to his eyes, and when he spoke, any would be able to understand him. As my first offer of service to you Kratos, I offer these gifts of my father."

Ariadne snatched the body parts from the box, and placed them in the chalice. Immediately, they dissolved and bubbled, until there were a purplish-pink liquid inside. Ariadne took the chalice in her hands, and offered it to Kratos.

"I know not where we are going, but I sense you will encounter many lands, many people, and many enemies." said Ariadne. "Drink, and be fortified with my father's abilities; except when those you do not understand purposely make a point of using certain words, you will need no translation, nor will you need a translator for you. All you need to do is drink, and you will be free of one less hindrance."

Taking the chalice in his hands, Kratos looked at it for a moment, then put it to his lips, and downed the liquid inside. Grimacing very slightly at the terrible taste, Kratos handed the chalice back to Ariadne.

"Captain Acoetes, how did you find the name of this place?" asked Kratos.

"On this scroll, my Lord, with these ridiculous scribbles." said the Captain, offering Kratos a small scroll.

Kratos opened the scroll, and looked at the inscriptions.

"The name of this place is called 'Iceland'." replied Kratos, taking the spyglass and peering into it towards the island.

They were closer now, and towards the left, Kratos saw what appeared to be a great, sinister-looking mountain, which emitted dark gray smoke from the top.

"Captain, instruct your crew to steer off the port bow." said Kratos. "I see where my next foe will be."

The Captain nodded, and ordered his crew to change their course slightly, adjusting the sails to pick up the best wind to get them towards their destination.

Having successfully changed course, the Neaavgi slowed down, and began to approach the shore of the island, the mast banking on the rocky sands. The towering mountain was clear to all now, and Kratos, seeing where he had to go next, exited the ship with a jump.

"We cannot accompany you I'm afraid, my Lord." said Dionysus. "The Laws of the House of War do not let any of us beyond the shores of your destinations."

"Then wait here, while I go and smite whatever dwells on this strange place." said Kratos.

Kratos left the shore, and began to walk inland. Along the way, he saw villagers and animals, but none of them seemed to notice him. He particularly noticed the sheep, and how they seemed to have longer, curlier wool than the sheep of Sparta.

At one point, a child was running along, and looked like they might run right into Kratos. Not having gotten out of the way in time, Kratos thought the child would surely run into him, but the child ran through him, as if the child was a ghost.

Puzzled, but no time to think about such a minor detail, Kratos pressed on, further inland, the ground becoming rockier and the soil becoming richer the closer he got to the mountain.

After what seemed like hours, Kratos finally reached the foot of the great mountain. Kratos put a foot upon the mountain to begin to climb, but all of the sudden, the top of the mountain sent a burst of dark-gray matter into the air, covering the sky. Nearby villagers ran away screaming, as the mountain burst yet again.

"Just like Vesuvius." said Kratos. "A volcano!"

Undeterred, Kratos attempted to make a few more steps, and that seemed to anger the volcano even more, resulting in further eruptions of ash into the sky.

"Show yourself!" bellowed Kratos from the bottom of the volcano. "If you be so powerful, let me see your true form!"

A low, throaty growl emitted from the top of the volcano, and in a mighty, large eruption, the sky and ground was almost completely black with ash, and Kratos couldn't see his hand in front of his face in the ashy fog. Coughing, Kratos waited for the ash to dissipate, and when it did, an enormous, towering figure stood in front of him.

This creature was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. It had the shape of a great, bearded human, only much more demon-like and terrifying; it was close to 2/3rds the size of the actual volcano, its skin was as black as the night, with glacial blue talons on its hands and feet, it wore a tunic of what appeared to be made of fur and icicles, it had 2 menacing red eyes, a large fanged mouth, and a beard which looked to be made of fire and embers. Surrounding it, was a contradiction of temperatures as well; in its hand and foot area, there appeared to be icy cold, and the rest of the creature seemed to emit volcanic heat.

"Foolish Odinson!" bellowed the creature in a deep, throaty voice, like the droning of monks from the underworld. "You shall perish here!"

"I am no 'Odinson' creature!" replied Kratos. "I am Kratos, God of War!"

"Another immortal foreigner has trespassed to Eyjafjallajökull?!" said the creature. "I am Surtr of the Flaming Sword!_ Jötun _of War, noble member of the Frost Giant race! No one, mortal or immortal, encroaches upon Surtr's dominion! Prepare to die!"

Outstretching his massive hand, a large, flaming sword materialized within it, and he brought it crashing down in Kratos' direction, setting the ground ablaze upon impact. Kratos dodged the blade, but was not able to dodge part of his outfit catching fire. Rolling along the ground, he was able to extinguish the flames, and resumed the fight.

Having no success with a downward slash, Surtr brought his flaming sword in a sideways swipe to try and halve Kratos, but Kratos rolled forward, and slashed one of the blades at Surtr's feet.

Surprisingly, upon contact, the blade stuck to the giant's foot, and a stream of ice rode up the blade to Kratos' arm, freezing him in place. Astonished, Kratos wriggled to be free.

"Surtr wields both flames and ice!" laughed Surtr. "Born of frost, keeper of flame!"

Having switched to the Nemean Cestus, Kratos managed to break the ice, and free himself from the giant's icy trap. Thinking it might be a stupid risk, but worth a try, Kratos deployed the Nemean Cestus with great force into the giant's kneecap. This time, Kratos was not froze, and the Nemean Cestus delivered a painful enough blow to knock Surtr off balance with a growl of pain for the moment.

"It will take more than that to vanquish Surtr!" said Surtr.

With a mighty stomp, Surtr froze the ground underneath his feet, freezing Kratos' feet in place in the process. Kratos freed his feet with a couple punches of the Nemean Cestus, and managed to avoid another slash from Surtr's flaming sword, turning the ice around them into water upon impact, some of it steam.

Kratos found himself dodging more attacks than going on the offensive. This giant was of Titanic proportions, and he would need to gain some serious height before being able to get anywhere near the giant's head to try serious damage.

Surtr opened both his hands, and a storm of ash blew in Kratos' direction, making it impossible for him to see and difficult to breathe. Using the back of his hand, Surtr smacked Kratos, who could not see because of the ash cloud, only this time Kratos felt severe burning instead of cold, and Kratos was knocked backwards, blisters all over his upper body.

Rushing back towards the giant with the Boots of Hermes, Kratos purposely stopped near one of Surtr's feet, which reactively caused Surtr to stomp yet again, once again icing the ground underneath them. Jumping in time, Kratos managed to avoid his feet becoming frozen, and while in the air, slowly coming back down on the Wings of Icarus, Kratos charged the lightning bolts of Zeus, and unleashed the Might of Zeus on the ice below them.

The ice as a conductor, the massive surge of electricity pulsed throughout Surtr's body, causing him to bellow and seize in pain, and drop his flaming sword. The sword fell upon the ground, melting the ice yet again, only this time Kratos was ready.

The massive melting of the ice from the sword, especially since the flat part of the sword was directly on the ice, caused a large burst of steam from the evaporating water. Using this to his advantage, Kratos jumped and rode the steam vent, which led all the way up to Surtr's ugly face.

"Look upon this, for it will be the last thing you see!" said Kratos.

Conjuring his energy, Kratos summoned the Head of Euryale in his hand, and showed the Gorgon's face to the giant. Having never seen a creature like this, Surtr looked at Euryale, only to look directly into her eyes. A look of fear and panic upon his face, Surtr could feel his entire body harden, from the top of his scalp and spreading down his limbs, to his torso, and eventually his legs. Once he was fully turned to stone, Kratos used Atlas' Quake, and dove back down to earth, creating a powerful earthquake which knocked Surtr off his feet, and caused him to fall hard onto the ground, breaking into several massive pieces.

Seeing Surtr's head in one piece, Kratos rushed over to it, and using the Nemean Cestus, pounded Surtr's head into tiny pieces no more bigger than grains of sand. Euryale's stone effect wore off, and instead of pieces of a stone body all over the foot of the mountain, disembodied pieces of frost giant flesh appeared, with nothing more than a pile of pulp where the head used to be.

Within moments, Gatherer appeared, cleaning up the body, leaving only the giant sword behind. Kratos scoffed at the idea of the sword, being it was miles long, but suddenly, saw the sword shrink to his size. Kratos picked up the sword, and tossed it into the air, remitting it to his cosmic inventory.

Kratos was about to turn back and head towards the shore, when he heard the faint sound of a female voice, sounding as though it were calling for help.

Kratos went back to the foot of the mountain, where he first attempted to climb, and noticed a female form, wrapped in a blanket, which may have emitted from the mountain during one of the eruptions. Whoever she was, she was still alive, and Kratos sensed she was some type of immortal, and didn't sense any threat.

Picking her up, Kratos walked back towards the ship, and the Neaavgi was waiting for him. Climbing aboard, Kratos handed the woman to Dionysus.

"Give her ambrosia, heal her, and find out who she is." said Kratos.

Meanwhile, Captain Acoetes piloted the ship, as they sailed to the east, towards their next destination.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

"My Lord, she is awake." said one of Kratos' devotees.

"Very well then, I shall speak with her." said Kratos, as he descended down into the cabins.

Kratos approached the sleeping woman, who was being attended to by Kratos' Neaavgi devotees, as well as Ariadne. Ariadne dismissed the devotees back to their duties, and stood beside the woman's bunk.

"She is alive and stable." said Ariadne. "She has not spoken directly to anyone, but seems to mutter in her unconscious state. She speaks in words I do not understand, and I've never quite seen a mortal or immortal look like her before. I believe she is some type of goddess."

Kratos nodded, then peered over in the sleeping woman's bunk. Indeed, she was a unique sight to behold; her skin was obsidian black, with orange vein-like lines covering her skin, her hair was fiery red and almost flame-like, and she wore a 2 piece outfit, which appeared to be made of cut leaves, leaves unlike Kratos had ever seen before. Heat seemed to emit from her body. Despite her unusual appearance, she was still strikingly beautiful, and had captivated Kratos' attention.

Kratos took her chin in one of his hands, expecting to be burned, but the woman's body temperature was normal. Leaning over, Kratos began to speak.

"Awaken." said Kratos.

The woman's eyes fluttered, eyelashes as red and fiery as her hair, and Kratos saw her eyes to be a deep, hot yellow, without pupils. Upon seeing Kratos, the woman backed herself as far back into her bunk as she could, her hands in front of her, ready to attack if need be.

"Have no fear, I will not hurt you." said Kratos. "Are you alright?"

The woman, seeming to understand Kratos, calmed herself, but still kept her guard up.

"_Maika'i no au_." replied the woman.

"Very good." said Kratos.

"What in the name of the Gods did she tell you?" asked Ariadne.

"She simply told me she was fine." replied Kratos, turning back towards the woman. "Who are you? Are you a goddess?"

"Yes." replied the woman in her native tongue, but to Kratos it was as if she were speaking his native Greek. "I am Pele, goddess and mother of the volcano, creatrix and destructrix of island worlds. I was ripped from my throne on Halema'uma'u, and into this world, after a battle with Ku. We became separated, and I ended up upon this island; the ashen god called Surtr ambushed me and kept me prisoner."

"I know not of your world." said Kratos. "Are you a goddess of war?"

"No, not of any mortal war." replied Pele. "The only war I wage is the earth against mankind."

"Then you are not among my adversaries." said Kratos.

"Adversaries?" asked Pele. "Who are YOU? And how did I get upon this vessel?"

"I am Kratos, God of War." replied Kratos. "My home is in Sparta, Greece, and I was considered one of the gods of Olympus, until they betrayed me, and I destroyed every one that stood against me. I have been pulled into this world to fight any gods and goddesses of war that challenge my rule, and then I fight Polemos, creator of this world, to fully assume all that is war. This is the ship The Neaavgi, and it is powered by those loyal to me. I fought and destroyed this Surtr that kept you captive, and then found you weak and unconscious. I brought you aboard, and revived you."

Pele listened for a moment, taking all of this in before responding.

"_Mahalo_ Kratos." replied Pele. "Had it not been for you, I may still have been prisoner, or dead. I will help you in any way I can, and perhaps if you are victorious, your victory will lead both of us home."

"I only seek to smite those who would stand against me, and recover that which I love the most." said Kratos flatly. "It makes no difference to me whether or not you stay, and I make no promises of restoring anything to you."

"Well….very well." said Pele, not knowing what else to say, and not expecting such a stoic response. "I will remain here and help."

"So be it." replied Kratos.

"In the meantime, I have a gift for you on your journey." said Pele.

Pele stood up, and walked towards Kratos. She took his head in her hands, and kissed him passionately upon the lips. Taken aback, yet feeling pleasure at the same time, Kratos simply returned the kiss, before they broke, feeling a comforting, warm sensation upon his body.

"I have bestowed upon you my _Pōmaika`i._" said Pele. "This is a powerful blessing that will allow you to walk, be submerged, and breathe in molten lava, unharmed. I hope it will serve you well."

Kratos opened his mouth to speak, but they were interrupted from above.

"Kratos!" said Dionysus from above. "Captain Acoetes has our next destination in sight!"

"Thank you, I must go." said Kratos, walking away back up to the deck level of the ship.

"Don't take anything personally Pele." said Ariadne. "Spartan men, especially warriors, aren't always the best with emotion and feeling."

"The same can be said for Hawai'ian men." said Pele.

Atop the ship, Dionysus and Captain Acoetes were waiting for Kratos at the bow. Captain Acoetes handed Kratos the spyglass, which Kratos used to look through the turbulent waves.

Ahead, he saw another island, which was green and lush like Iceland, but to a much richer degree. Gray stones could also be seen throughout the island.

"I am told the natives call this island '_Éire_'." said Captain Acoetes. "It appears the island is rich with life, the Neaavgi can sense it. You may encounter more than one foe here, my lord."

"I will encounter as many as are needed." said Kratos resolutely. "How much longer until we reach the shore?"

"We should reach the shores of Éire in about 5 minutes, my lord." replied Captain Acoetes. "We're approaching a region of the land known as _Muenster_."

"I will go with you." said a female voice from behind them.

Kratos turned to see Pele, standing there before all of them.

"Impossible!" said Kratos. "This battle is mine and mine alone, and besides, like the rest of this crew, you will not be permitted to follow me without restraint."

"We shall see." said Pele. "I owe my life to you, and shall do all I can to restore yours. If I am unable to follow you, so be it, but you must at least let me try."

Kratos growled in frustration, but sighed in defeat shortly thereafter.

"I suppose it is of no matter to me should you wish to waste your time." conceded Kratos. "Do what you will."

The two divine beings sat on the ship's deck, until finally the ship laid anchor outside the island's sandy, rocky shores. Kratos and Pele disembarked from the ship, and walked from the beach to the emerald-like grassy grounds. Once they did, an orange-like force field separated them from the ship, and seemed to encircle the island.

"I've encountered these in battle before." said Kratos to Pele. "We will not be permitted to leave until I defeat whatever enemies or challenges await me in these lands."

"I understand." replied Pele. "I sense no volcanoes here, I'm really out of my element. Which way from here, Kratos?"

"That is the question…"said Kratos, pondering. "The only purest direction to go from here would be north, and previously I chose northwest. So, let us see where northeast takes us."

Pele nodded, and the two headed towards the northeast.

Kratos was pleased with the demographics that he saw upon the island; even though they could not see him, he admired them in his present state. Not only were there villages with shepherds, masons, blacksmiths and similar professions of the age, but there were many clans, fierce warrior clans, who often rose up against each other in bloody battle. As they journeyed on, Kratos often paused to enjoy the more violent battles, both inter-clan warfare, and when invaders came from the sea, they often drove them away as well.

"I wonder if Spartans came here and procreated with the island's women." laughed Kratos during one of the battles he and Pele stopped to watch. "Many of these warriors are worthy of the glorious Sparta!"

Whenever they felt hunger or thirst, Kratos found he was able to slay the various small birds that were numerous in number around the island, the locals referring to them as _puifíní_; every time he killed one of them, the bird yielded green orbs, which he shared with Pele.

As they continued on their journey, they stopped for a quick _puifíní _break in one land, and once Kratos slew the first bird and absorbed its green orbs, the land rumbled.

"Those'r MY puffins!" said a male voice, speaking in an accent similar to the mysterious female warrior that attacked Kratos after offering to seduce him. "You are trespassing into Limerick!"

"Show yourself, War God of Éire!" demanded Kratos.

The clouds that had surrounded him upon the arrival of previous foes did once more, although this time, Pele was imprisoned in what resembled to be a birdcage of orange light. Pele tried to break free, but found she would be harmed if she did so, thereby unable to assist Kratos even if she wanted to.

"I see you brought a friend." said the voice, as the clouds cleared. "I'll be sure te be givin' her proper comfortin' once yer dead!"

The clouds cleared, and standing before Kratos was a fair-skinned, Caucasian male warrior. The warrior had white, pupil-less eyes, a dirty-blonde goatee and long locks of hair atop his head, with green tattoo-like markings all over his body. The warrior was defended only by what appeared to be a stone cuirass with a swirling design, red leg bindings, and a red kilt-like loincloth. The warrior was about 2 feet taller than Kratos, with enormous muscles. The warrior looked down at Kratos, and laughed.

"_Spriosain!_" said the warrior. "You're the powerful warrior I'm te be afreed of? You'll not be more'n 30 seconds of trouble for me!"

"Mind your tongue braggart!" replied Kratos, readying his blades. "I understand your tongue, and I am no weakling! I am Kratos, and I conquer and destroy all that stands in my way, including you, whoever you are!"

"I am Neit, greatest of the Gods of Ireland!" replied Neit. "You're on my island now boyo, I'd liketa see you match great deeds with yer great words!"

"With pleasure!" said Kratos.

Kratos began the attack with an Olympic Slash, striking at Neit with the intent of making an explosive connection with his blade. Neit however, was ready for a powerful opening attack, and dissolved into mist on the point of connecting. Kratos almost fell forward due to his excess momentum, and felt a great blunt force strike him in his left jaw, the force so powerful he tumbled over backwards.

At the spot where he was attacked, Neit stood, holding a great wooden club in his hand, which pulsed with white lightening. As Kratos turned to look at Neit, Neit blasted him with a burst of lightning from the club, levitating Kratos in the air.

"Feel the fury of my _burda_, Kratos!" said Neit, before dropping Kratos to the ground.

Just as Kratos hit the ground back-first, Neit struck the ground with the burda, sending a massive shockwave riddled with white lightening in Kratos' direction. This time, Kratos was ready, and lifted himself in the air with the Wings of Icarus, focusing his momentum in Neit's direction, then hooked Neit's armor with his blades via an Orion's Harpoon maneuver. As Kratos flew towards Neit, he greeted him with a double kick to the face, knocking the Irish God backwards before he could evade. Neit stood up to strike Kratos with the burda, but was met with a blinding light to his face, as Kratos released the Head of Helios, and covered Neit's body from head to toe in the light.

"Now you can't spirit yourself away from me!" said Kratos.

"I can't, can I?" asked Neit mockingly.

Neit clapped his hands, and his body turned into a mound of toads, each of them with a mouthful of pointy teeth, and they began to jump at Kratos and bite at his flesh. Kratos sliced the toads with his blades, stomped them with his boots, but many of them were able to still deliver painful bites, and they were so numerous he could not kill all of them. As the toads continued to swarm him, Kratos was able to repel them by summoning the Rage of Poseidon, frying most of the toads into ashes, yet a couple remained alive, and they joined together to re-materialize Neit.

Kratos rushed in Neit's direction using the Boots of Hermes, and Neit tried to escape by materializing as he did before. However, Neit found it did not work, and whenever he tried it, it simply made him gold-colored. Thus, Neit's maneuver turned out to be a distraction, and Neit found himself at the business end of a Hermes Rush from Kratos, sending him airborne. Kratos followed up with a complete 360 Cyclone of Chaos in the air, every hit connecting with Neit, and causing him a great deal of damage.

In a swift move however, Neit rushed forward mid-air, and grabbed Kratos by the throat, then sailed down towards the ground and smashed Kratos into the ground so hard, it left a crater. While Kratos was stilled stunned, Neit took out his burda, and began beating Kratos back and forth about the face and head, each blow containing white lightning to add to the damage. His vision blurry, but concentrating with all his might, Kratos dodged to his left ever so slightly when the next blow from the burda was about to come, and freed himself with a Hyperion Rise, delivering the perfect uppercut underneath Neit's chin, and using his feet, Kratos was able to send Neit flying over him and backwards.

Dusting himself off of both dirt and blood, Kratos stood to face Neit once more, who seemed just as bloody as he was.

"I am tired of playing games with you Kratos!" growled Neit. "Now you shall face Ireland and all her fury!"

Neit's tattoos glowed throughout his body, and his hair stood straight up in spikes. His eyes turned blood red, and his right eye grew larger than his left eye. Neit's body was surrounded in green flames, and he put his burda back into his belt, and held out his palms. Two sharp blades emerged from Neit's palms, and he clashed them together, creating sparks.

"BERZERKER!" cried Neit.

Neit flew at Kratos, a whirlwind of fury and blades flying, and Kratos was overwhelmed by the attack. Kratos felt the blades cut his skin, and did his best to parry, but Neit's rage and power were so furious, he could barely keep up. There was only one thing left to do.

Summoning all the power and energy he could, he invoked the power of the Rage of Sparta.

Fueled by the fallen warriors of Sparta and his divine power, Kratos returned the fury equally, now able to successfully counter-attack and defend against Neit's flurry of mayhem. The two warriors fiercely fought against each other, neither one gaining or giving out, until finally their blades clashed against each other, and the two tried to subdue one another, each pushing back on the other one's blade. Their combined fury working against each other became so powerful, that a great explosion took place, blasting both gods backwards, and both resumed their previous state before invoking their respective fury.

Neit stood up first, and grabbing his burda, rushed for Kratos once more. However, Kratos was ready for him, and stopped the burda in his hand, grasping onto it, despite the pain from the white lightning that surged through Kratos' body. Summoning what strength he had from his free hand, Kratos summoned one of Zeus' thunderbolts, and sent a surge of electricity throughout Neit's body, which commingled with the energy from Neit's burda, and created a body shockwave so powerful, Neit's armor burst into a hundred rocky pieces.

Kratos let go of the burda at the very last moment, just enough for Neit to experience the full blast of the combined lightning power, and once Neit began reeling from the attack, his cuirass gone, Kratos wasted no time, and moved in.

Rushing Neit, he grabbed him by the throat with one hand, and kneed him in the chest with the other, knocking the wind out of Neit. Almost immediately, Kratos began rapidly and furiously stabbing Neit in the torso with the Blades of Chaos, massive amounts of blood pouring from Neit's wounds. For the final blow, Kratos brought down one of the Blades of Chaos from above Neit's head, driving it into the top of his skull, out the bottom of his chin, and into the ground. After some brief twitching, Neit lay still, and Kratos withdrew his blade from Neit's skull.

Gatherer appeared, and collected what remained of Neit. Pele's cage dissipated, and she was once again free. Seeing the burda remaining on the ground, Kratos picked it up, and placed it among his inventory. Kratos' health was replenished with green orbs, and he was further rewarded with gold, blue and red orbs.

"You were amazing Kratos!" praised Pele. "A true force of destruction! Halema'uma'u would be an unstoppable empire with you at my side!"

"Thank you." said Kratos flatly. "Now, we must move on."

"Leaving so soon lad?" asked an older male voice.

"Another challenge already?!" said Kratos, looking around, only to find nothing.

"No, no lad!" said the voice. "I'm merely here to thank ye for freein' me, that I may retarn to me people! I also wish to give ye a gift, another spoil t' add with Neit's durga."

"Where ARE you?" said Kratos, looking around in confusion.

"Kratos, look at your feet." said Pele, pointing downward.

Kratos looked down and saw a tiny man in a green warrior-like outfit, no bigger than the hilt of Kratos' sword. The little man was also fair-skinned like Neit, but had long red hair, some of it braided, a red beard, pointed ears, and the little man's face and limbs were covered in designs with green war paint. The creature smiled and bowed in respect, pleased with Kratos' presence.

"Allow me t' introduce me-self." said the creature pleasantly. "Name's Dorndair of the Clan Collcran! Ne'er you'll find a more fierce and loyal clan o' warrior leprechauns in all of Ireland! 'nd who might you both be?"

"I am Kratos, God of War, of Sparta, Greece." replied Kratos.

"And I am Pele, Goddess of Volcanoes, Creation and Destruction, of Halema'uma'u, Hawai'i." said Pele.

"_Beggorah_!" exclaimed Dorndair. "I've not heard of either o' ye here in Ireland. Nevertheless, _fáilte go hÉirinn_, te both of ye!"

"Listen tiny one." said Kratos impatiently. "If all you wish to do is speak, speak with someone else! I must reach my next challenge!"

"Yes, yes of course lad, which is why I've a gift ta give ye!" said Dorndair. "Afore ye destroyed Neit, I owed him a debt and he'd kept me as his eternal servant. Now that ye've killed 'im, I'm free, and I will see to it ye accomplish whatever ya need, and stay with ye until you've no longer any need to remain on Ireland! Here's my gift to ye!"

Dorndair reached into his knapsack, and pulled out two glassy eyeballs, each fiery yellow in color, with red pupils. They grew to the size of human eyeballs. Kratos picked them up, and examined them.

"These are one of Neit's most useful treasures, the Eyes of Dalbeach." explained Dorndair. "Long ago, Neit slew the Fomorian giant Dalbeach, 'nd plucked out 'is eyes as spoils o' war! These eyes have th' ability te point ye in the direction of your next goal, or next enemy, or both, depending on what ye desire in the end! If in the presence of an enemy, they begin t' glow a violet color. Since you Kratos killed Neit, they're rightfully yours, and will serve you. Go on, give 'em a try!"

Kratos held the eyeballs in the palm of his hand, not quite sure how to use them, and spoke.

"Take me to my next challenger." Kratos ordered the eyeballs.

The two eyeballs spun round and round in his hands for a bit, until finally, they stopped, and both pupils pointed in the same direction. During the spinning, Dorndair hopped up and on top of Kratos' shoulder.

"'Tis east if where you'll find yer next fighter." said Dorndair. "Towards Leinster."

Kratos looked at Pele, not sure if he should put his trust in the eyes and the leprechaun or not.

"It's worth a try to me." said Pele.

"Very well." said Kratos, as they set off. "However tiny one, if I find you to be deceptive, I will smash you without mercy."

"Fair enough." said Dorndair.

The trio headed in the direction the eyes directed, and would see just how accurate they truly were.

(Check out character artwork from this book at under RealPMP's folder "God of War – Eternal Claim")


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Kratos and Pele walked along the Emerald Isle for what seemed like ages, with Dorndair accompanying them the entire way, either walking or riding upon one of their shoulder, and at the present time he rested upon Kratos' shoulder.

Kratos glared at him, annoyed.

"Do I look like an ass meant to carry cargo to you?" asked Kratos.

"Na m'boy, you just have comfy shoulders for a ruthless war god." said Dorndair.

"I expect you to deliver on your word when we need you." said Kratos. "Now where are we at present?"

"Meath." said Dorndair, looking at the Eyes of Dalbeach, each one tucked under one of his arms. "They're startin' te glow a wee faint purple Kratos. Might want te try further east."

Kratos and Pele altered their course to a more eastwise direction. While walking, Pele glanced at the eyes, and noticed a difference.

"Dorndair." said Pele. "They seem to be glowing less instead of more. Are you sure this is the right direction?"

Dorndair glanced down at the eyes, and noticed they indeed were a lighter shade of violet than what they had originally started.

"Whew!" said Dorndair. "You're a right lucky lad you are Kratos! I could've sworn you were headed towards Dublin, straight into her…"

At that moment, Dorndair slapped his hand over his mouth.

"Her what?" asked Kratos. "Her who, exactly?"

"_Ó cac_, I've said too much!" said Dorndair. "Forget I said enthin Kratos, I were just babblin!"

"Speak runt!" said Kratos. "Else you find yourself under the business end of my heel!"

"Believe me, I would if I could!" said Dorndair. "But anything you do te me would be tame compared te what she would have in store for me!"

Kratos glared at the tiny leprechaun, but decided he was telling the truth.

"I suggest you not slip with information you don't wish to share again." said Kratos. "If I felt you were holding anything vital from me, I would make you suffer."

"Understood." said Dorndair. "And I stand by me previous statement!"

As the trio went further east, the eyes started to glow more violet in color.

"Quite surprised we'vent encountered yer next fighter already." said Dorndair. "Closing in on Connaught we are, halfway through Longford at this…"

Before Dorndair could finish his sentence, a bolt of lightning struck across the sky. Rain began to pour down, and as it did, Pele's skin started to smoke.

"Are you alright Pele?" asked Kratos.

"I'll be fine." said Pele. "Rain isn't the friendliest towards goddesses like me, but I've survived it before."

"Ye'd sure hate Ireland lass." said Dorndair. "Rain is a daily part o' life here!"

Lightning struck violently across the sky, and Dorndair peered ahead for them, spotting an opening in the earth that he hadn't seen previously.

"Kratos." said Dorndair. "I must warn ye, your next foe is probably right ferocious amongst all ye've ever seen!"

Dorndair pointed in the direction of the opening in the earth.

"A cavern'll be down that way." said Dorndair. "That is where we must enter. 'Twill be dark down there, so I suggest ye have some light with you te guide us."

"Very well then." said Kratos.

The trio of travelers entered the cavern opening, and walked downward, with Kratos lighting the way using the Head of Helios. Once their descent stopped, they reached flatter ground and walked forward. Soon, they came to a clearing in the cavern, which looked as though it was from the surface. It was covered in lush green grass, shamrocks, red-capped mushrooms, and a bush was in the middle of the clearing, with a small pool of water beside it. Skeletons of dead mortals, some brandishing weapons, littered the cave.

"Aye, this is definitely a cave of the Fae." said Dorndair. That Hawthorne bush up ahead, 'tis where ye will find yer foe Kratos."

"What is a 'Fae'?" asked Kratos.

"Aye, The Fae." said Dorndair. "Of which I be a part of. Faeries, leprechauns, clurichauns, changelings, banshees, there be many of us! Though if ye're about te face who I think ye are, I'd recommend not angerin' her too badly. Angerin' the Faeries is sumthin' not even Cuchulain'd even attempt, were he alive! Terrible repercussions the Faeries bring, beyond all terror!"

"Whatever do you mean, little green fool!" said Kratos, grasping Dorndair in his hand. "Enough of your cryptic allusions. Tell me!"

About that time, Dorndair disappeared from his hand into thin air, and Pele did as well. The proverbial clouds surrounded him, within the cavern nonetheless, and he felt a sharp pain on the back of his calf. Reaching his hand backward, he saw whatever was around, had drawn blood.

"Alright then you pretender!" said Kratos. "I demand you present yourself to me, so I may finish this!"

"Don't ye see me Kratos?" said a sinister female voice with laughter. "'nd by the way, your blood is divine, 'n I hadn't any immortal blood fer centuries!"

Kratos looked around, not seeing anything at all.

"Are you invisible?!" asked Kratos.

"Nay Kratos, I'm right in front 'o ye!" said the voice, cackling with laughter. "Bet ye'd never expect me t' send ye to your final rest, would ye now?!"

Kratos was about to begin blindly slashing, until the owner of the voice showed herself, right in Kratos' face.

It was a tiny woman, no bigger than an index-finger-and-a-half of Kratos' index finger. Kratos could see her appearance clearly however, and hadn't seen anything like her before. Her skin was a pale, gray-like color, much like a corpse, sharp pointy teeth, and her lips were stained in blood, no doubt from biting Kraots. She had medium-length black hair, long bronze-like talons on her hands and feet, her feet talons much like that of a hawk, and she wore a mousy brown dress. She remained suspended in the air by a pair of wings, dark blue-and-gray, veiny appendages from her shoulder blades, which flapped furiously to keep her in flight. Her pupil-less, magenta-colored eyes glowed brightly, as she fiercely looked at Kratos.

"I am Nemain, Faerie Goddess of War!" said Nemain. "Dark Queen of the Dark Faeries! You have entered me realm, and n'one who enters may leave!"

"You have got to be joking me!" said Kratos, with a slight laugh. "YOU?! My next contender?! Let me make this easier on both of us."

From his right, Kratos brought his palm swinging in Nemain's direction, hoping to swat her hard enough that it would knock her to the ground and kill her. But Nemain expected such an attack, and held Kratos'palm at bay, as easily as if she were holding up a thin wall. Hissing and bearing her sharp teeth, she bit into the center of Kratos' palm, and when she did, Kratos felt a hot, searing pain eminate throughout his body, starting at his palm then creeping along his arm, and throughout his body. Kratos screamed in agony, the pain feeling like red-hot thorns poking his body repeatedly.

"Faerie venom is quite potent!" laughed Nemain. "But don't worry, I haven't given ye a fatal dose…but perhaps later 'can!"

"Very well, insect!" said Kratos. "You want a brutal extermination, you shall have it!"

Kratos broke out the Blades of Chaos, and brought them down upon the faerie, but was taken by surprise when he heard a great "CLANG!" and looked down, to see Nemain, fending off both his blades with a tiny, crystal-like faerie sword.

"Your drunken shoe-cobbler friend Dorndair were right lad!" said Nemain. "We faerie women can do damage to you beyond yer imagination!"

Taking her tiny crystal sword in both hands, she barreled towards Kratos in flight, and slashed him on the left shoulder, before she was at a safe distance. Not feeling any pain, Kratos laughed.

"Is that the best you can do little bug?!" laughed Kratos. "Come, destroy me if you be so powerful!"

"Oh, I think it's working just fine." said Nemain.

About the time that she said it, Kratos felt an intense, cold sensation, beginning at the point of impact on his left shoulder, and then, strange-looking crystals began to emerge from his skin. The crystals were a green color, and burst forth from Kratos' skin, tearing at his flesh. Within moments, Kratos' entire arm was immobile, as it was covered with yellow crystal.

With his free hand, Kratos deployed one of the Blades of Chaos in the faerie's direction, hoping to sever the little insect in two. Nemain however, was far too quick and clever, dodging the blade as if it were of zero consequence to begin with, laughing at Kratos' attempt.

"Well well, God of War!" laughed Nemain. "It seems you can't even break a disarmament enchantment on ONE limb, much less two! I don't know whether to kill you, or drag this out some more, so you can feel nothing but agonizing torture after you surrender!"

"KRATOS….NEVER…..SURRENDERRRRRRRRRRRRRRSSS!" bellowed Kratos, trying to swing his crystallized arm against the ground to break the crystals, but to no avail.

It was about that time, that Kratos decided to try one of the newer spoils of war from his arsenal. Deciding to try out what he had earned, even though it was not one of the more powerful spoils that came to his mind, Kratos summoned the Chakramaquahuitls, which he caught both of in his free hand. Using one, he threw it in a Frisbee fashion towards the faerie, while using the other one to break the crystals, thereby freeing his hand.

Nemain dodged the blade, but not good enough, as it nicked her left wing, and caused her to dive slightly before getting her flying back on course. Seizing the opportunity, Kratos smacked Nemain with the flat side of one of the Blades of Chaos, sending her flying towards the ground. Intending to squash her like the insect Kratos saw her to be, Kratos brought down his foot, but she was ready, and flitted so quickly out of the way he didn't even have time to notice she'd left.

"Let's see how you try THIS on for size, Kratos!" said Nemain.

Flitting in circles above his head, Nemain sprinkled bits of sand-colored and gray powder down upon Kratos. Kratos slashed in the air with his blades, trying to slice her, but it was no use. A few seconds after she had finished spreading the powders, Kratos began to cough violently. Kratos' skin turned a sickly yellow, and red and blue veins surfaced all over his body, along with dark skin lesions.

"Hope ye like the plague of the Dark Faeries Kratos!" said Nemain. "'Twill make me easier te kill ye!"

Nemain pulled 2 tiny daggers, which she kept at her side, and flew towards Kratos, intent upon poking out his eyes. Despite his coughing, Kratos could hear her approach, and threw up one of his hands, causing her to stab him in the hand instead. As if without thinking, Kratos deployed one of his blades forward, not quite sure what he would slash, and the blade struck the hawthorn bush, severing several of its branches.

At this, Nemain shrieked an ear-splitting shriek, and fell downwards. In almost an instant, green orbs flew from the bush and towards Kratos, who absorbed them and was restored to his fullest health. The effects of whatever Nemain had sprinkled upon him were no more.

"You will pay for that Kratos!" growled Nemain. "'Tis the source of many of me curses that bush is!"

"Thank you for the advice then fairy, I will burn it to cinders!" said Kratos.

"Ye will NOT!" said Nemain. "Feel the elements of the earth rise against you!"

Nemain lifted up her hands, and dark purple light encompassed her. All around them, the cavern began to shake, from the ceiling, stalactites began to break off, fall, and sail in Kratos' direction much like missiles.

Quick on his defense, Kratos switched to the Nemean Cestus, and began punching the rocky missiles into pebbles as they sailed towards him. Over and over again, the stalactites turned to rubble, and Kratos did the best he could to advance towards Nemain, in the hopes of grasping her and crushing her.

Finally within striking distance, Kratos switched back to the Blades of Chaos, and was ready to make a double strike right at Nemain, although when he readied his arms, he felt them restrained by something strong, which also poked into his skin.

"The thorny coils 'o Ireland will suppress thee!" said Nemain.

From underneath the ground, long, thorny vines emerged, and grasped themselves around Kratos. Kratos was able to chop them away as he tried to advance, but they were far too numerous, and soon, several of them had him in such a tight grip that he could not move underneath their grip, except for one free arm, which he had been using to chop away at the vines. One of the latest vines struck his hand, striking the blade from it, and proceeded to coil around Kratos.

As he became engulfed in the thorny vines, their thorns piercing his skin all over, Kratos found they were squeezing out his air, and were intent on crushing his bones and suffocating him, much like large snakes do with their prey. With all his might, Kratos thrashed around from under the vines, which did cause them to rock somewhat and flail from the ceiling to the ground.

On one of the flails towards the ground, with only one free hand left, Kratos grabbed the only thing he could reach, which he did not even see. It turned out, it was a gray-colored amulet, which one of the fallen warrior skeletons had around its neck. No other options, with his fate seemingly sealed at hand, Kratos was determined to get the last strike in, no matter how feeble, and threw the amulet in Nemain's direction as best he could.

All of the sudden, the vines stopped moving, and shriveled into lifeless, dead plants. The amulet had hit Nemain, and when it did, she let out a bloodcurdling shriek yet again, her powerful aura disappeared, and she sailed to the ground, with smoke emitting from her body.

Now free of the plant bindings that held him, Kratos summoned the Bow of Apollo, and fired several flaming arrows into the hawthorn bush, sending it completely up in flames, which caused Nemain to wail even more. Picking up the amulet used to strike Nemain, Kratos walked over towards her, as she lay on the ground. Upon inspection, her body continued to smoke, and her gray skin was covered in red, irritated sores and boils.

"Curse ye Kratos!" cried Nemain. "Ye've destroyed me faerie home, most of my curses, and maimed me with the 'cursed iron!"

Kratos looked at the amulet in his hand quizzicly.

"Iron, that is all this is made of?" said Kratos. "Simple iron?!"

"Aye, deadly to the Fae!" said Nemain, trying to regain her powers. "I shall make ye pay dearly for what ye've done!"

Before she could make her next move, Kratos pressed the iron amulet against her skin, and she sizzled and screamed out in agony. With the one hand, Kratos tortured her with the amulet, and with the other, he pulled off both her wings. When he was finished, Kratos tied the chain of the amulet around his boot, with the pendant part of the amulet underneath his heel.

"And now, an insignificant end for an insignificant creature." said Kratos.

Bringing his foot down hard, Kratos crushed Nemain's body underneath the iron amulet, pressing his foot down deeper into the ground once the impact hit her, and large bellows of smoke rose form underneath Kratos' feet. Lifting up his foot, Kratos saw nothing more than a bloody, bony mess.

Gatherer appeared to clean up the remains, and Kratos collected the green, blue, gold and red orbs that followed from his victory. Kratos exited the cave by ascending to the cave entrance, and found Pele and Dorndair outside waiting for him.

"Nemain is no more." said Kratos. "Who would've thought all it took was a bit of iron."

"Iron?!" said Dorndair, afraid. "Ye don't still have it with ye, do you?"

"No." said Kratos. "I left it in the cave, will we need it where we are going next?"

"Methinks not lad." said Dorndair. "Let's see where the eyes will us to go."

Dorndair set the Eyes of Dalbeach on the ground, which spun around for a couple moments, and then their pupils pointed the way.

"'Tis Connaught we're bound for." said Dorndair. "Come lad, let us make our way there."

"Agreed." said Kratos. "My thirst for battle is not yet quenched, and immortal blood is the perfect drink to quench it."

(Check out character artwork from this book at under RealPMP's folder "God of War – Eternal Claim")


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

"You're sure ye didn't bring that iron along with ye now boyo, right?" asked Dorndair.

"For the last time NO!" growled Kratos. "Now do your job and guide us, before I squash you like a mosquito upon my shoulder!"

"Alright alright." said Dorndair. "Tis as deadly for me as 'twere for Nemain."

"Thank you for the reminder." said Kratos, with a sly grin. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Ye wouldn't!" said Dorndair.

The trio drudged along in pouring cold rain, blasted by the biting wind, across the wasteland landscape of Connaught. The craggy, rocky soil seemed to go on for ages, but the trio trekked on, keeping to the guidance of the Eyes of Dalbeach. Villages and wildlife were sparse, few and far amid the endless miles that spanned across Connaught.

"No magma in sight except for eons of fathoms below." said Pele. "The glories this island would behold if I raised volcanoes from its depths."

"Perhaps after we complete our mission." said Kratos gruffly. "Keep moving if you want to tag along!"

Pele scoffed at Kratos' response, but also smiled.

Within a few more miles, Kratos heard the familiar cackling of seagulls, and the newfound honking of the puffins.

"We are close to sea." said Kratos.

"Aye lad." said Dorndair. "The Eyes of Dalbeach continue te glow brighter. We're on the edge between Sligo and the edge of Leitrim. Best we continue on…"

Before Dorndair could finish, the Eyes of Dalbeach surged in brightness, and Kratos rolled backwards, grabbing Pele as he did.

In the spot where Kratos originally stood, a large, multi-pronged spear had buried its head in the ground.

"Looks like we've found yer next opponent." said Dorndair.

At the close of these words, the telltale clouds announcing the next challenger to Kratos appeared with a vengeance, as well as the telltale disappearance into thin air of Pele and Dorndair.

A figure appeared before Kratos, about 2 feet taller than Kratos, but about the same muscular build. The figure had large, yellow-gold, pupil-less eyes, and light green skin. He was a male, with messy black hair, and dark green tattoos about his face and limbs. He wore no clothing, except for a light and green colored kilt, and a golden lunala-style Irish collar around his neck, with a green and black gemstone in the middle.

The figure withdrew his spear from the ground, and pointed it towards Kratos.

"S'you're the one te challenge me next?" said the figure. "Well, come'n destroy me if ye dare! I am Luchtar, smith war god, and you're in my dominyen!"

Kratos readied himself in his traditional battle-stance, ready to face the latest threat from Ireland that stood before him.

"Very well!" said Kratos. "Another Irish insect for me to squash beneath my Spartan boots! If you are so brave, you would've made the first attack yourself!"

"Good point lad." said Luchtar. "How about this?"

Lucthar pounded his collar bone, hitting the crystal upon his lunala, and the crystal pulsated in dark green. From the crystal emerged 10 female figures, who swarmed around Kratos, and emitted a wailing, sad, energy-depleting song. Kratos thought perhaps they were the ghost of sirens.

In fury, Kratos swung the Blades of Chaos towards them, as they swarmed upon him from all directions. It seemed the more that Kratos fought them, the weaker he became, and their wailing seemed to pierce the core of what a god or goddess would have equivalent to a soul. They wailed, cried and cackled as they circled around him, crying tears of pitch, and Kratos began to feel deep despair, weakness, much like he'd felt upon learning he had killed his entire family.

"Feel the Banshees' wails envelop you Kratos!" laughed Lucthar. "'Tis no escaping the sorrow 'ehind their mournful cries!"

Kratos resisted, yet the terrible wailings from the banshees drown him in sorrow and weakness, and just as his blades seemed to make a group of them disappear, they seemed to spawn back in 5 times their numbers, much like the Hydra. Little by little, Kratos began to break down, and soon, found himself curled in a fetal position, weeping. All the saddest, most horrifying memories in his entire lifetime, amplified by the song of the Banshees, drug his mind down into the depths beyond the darkest despair.

As the Banshees closed in, and began to descend downward upon him like vultures, Luchtar laughed, and readied his spear from a distance.

"This is far too easy!" said Luchtar.

Feeling their presence growing strong, Kratos still had a spark of fury left within him, and his mind in its feeble state scrambled to think of what could overcome these monstrosities. Concentrating all his energy, he released his energy forward, screaming out the first thing he could think of.

"ERINYS!" bellowed Kratos.

With a flash, the swarming clouds of Banshees were sent reeling backward in a bright flash, which soon became a dark orb, and began to draw the Banshees inside it. Their wails of sorrow towards training Kratos soon turned to wails of panic and fear, fighting for their lives to resist the pull of the great void that Kratos had unleashed via the Scourge of Erinys.

Just about that time, Kratos saw an object flying towards him, and with almost lightning speed, caught the item, and sent it flying back towards its owner.

Taken by surprise, and before he could get out of the way, Luchtar growled in pain as the head of his own spear plunged into his own thigh. Pulling the spear out, Luchtar gritted his teeth, and advanced towards Kratos.

"Keep on comin' fer me lad, I love a good challenge!" growled Luchtar.

"So, a spearbearer are you?" said Kratos. "By the end of these battles, the people of Ireland will forget the name of Lucthar and all the rest of you, and see Kratos as their true master!"

"_Aoiligh_!" laughed Luchtar. "Ye haven't even a spear of yer own te best me with, just your wee blades!"

"Very well then." said Kratos, putting away the Blades of Chaos. "Let Irish spear match up against Greek spear!"

Kratos outstretched his hand, and summoned forth one of the spears from his inventory. Within his hand, the Spear of Olympus materialized, pulsating with white, electric-like energy. Twirling the spear in an aggressive motion, he held the spear two-handed, in attack stance.

Lucthar also readied his spear with an aggressive two-handed stance, and this time, the tip of his spear glowed with greenish fire.

The two warriors rushed at each other, and the spears clashed together in a furious burst of metal and energy. Luchtar was stronger than Kratos anticipated, but this did not stop his determination, nor interrupt his focus. Lucthar lunged at Kratos' midsection with his spear, to which Kratos blocked with the shaft of the Spear of Olympus, then turned and countered with an upward jab of his own. Luchtar blocked and parried with his spear, countering with a downward thrust, and Kratos leapt a step backwards to be out of striking range, returning the attack with a mighty forward thrust with the Spear of Olympus.

The two warriors were soon a flurry of jabs, thrusts, parries and blocks, and also set forth blasts of energy from their respective spears towards one another. Some energy blasts connected, and some were deflected by the spear of the opponent. As Kratos and Luchtar continued to battle on ferociously with attack after attack from their spears, suddenly the spearheads locked, and both warriors released the full fury of the energy from their weapon into their opponent. Their respective spears serving as conductors for the energy to flow through them, the warriors gritted teeth and growled, feeling the pain of the enemy's spear energy surge through them. Both warriors stood in gridlock, neither backing down or giving into the pain. Suddenly, the stalemate broke, resulting in the shattering of Luchtar's spear into thousands of pieces.

Luchtar fell backwards at the destruction of his spear, and Kratos ran forwards in a downward leap, ready to plunge the tip of the Spear of Olympus straight into Luchtar's heart.

Before the deathblow could even arrive, Kratos head Luchtar utter a word, and Kratos was then knocked back by something scaly and massive.

"_Oilliphéist_!" cried Luchtar.

The massive appendage was a long, scaly, grayish-green tail, which seemed to emerge from the amulet that Lucthar wore on the collar around his neck, the same one he used to summon the Banshees.

After whipping Kratos backwards, the tail disappeared back into the amulet, but then, a mighty roar issued from the amulet, and a cloud of red smoke came forth, covering everything in sight.

Summoning the Head of Helios to see through the smoke, Kratos finally cleared a path for him to see, and before him stood an enormous, angry-looking dragon.

The creature was covered in dark green and gray scales, had icy blue eyes, and a tremendous wingspan. It opened its mouth to show an arsenal of spear-like teeth. It had a wide nose, much like a pig's but wider, and blunt yet jagged horns covering its head. Down its long neck was plate-like spines, and it had massive-reaching front arms, but no back legs that Kratos could see. Instead, it seemed to have endless coils.

"Behold the Oilliphéist!" said Lucthar. "One o' th' many wonders I hold and control within the Thoghairmcloiche!"

"The what?!" said Kratos, not making any sudden moves as to upset the creature.

"The Thoghairmcloiche, me summoning gem!" said Lucthar. "I em master of many immortal creature inside! But tis a pity, this is the only one ye'll see! DESTROY 'IM!"

The creature spread its mighty wings, and its head dove downward in an attempt to eat up Kratos in one bite. Kratos however, was too quick, and instead the creature grabbed a mouthful of Irish soil. Enraged the monster flung the soil from its mouth and pursued Kratos, backing Kratos up against a hillside. The monster stomped its feet, hoping to crush Kratos, and bit in every direction it could think of, but Kratos managed to dodge thus far.

Seeing an opportunity, Kratos rushed up the leg and on the back of the creature, trying to make it towards the serpent's head, when he felt himself pulled backwards from the waist, and suspended in mid-air. The Oilliphéist had snared Kratos in its coily tail, and continued to wrap tighter and tighter around Kratos, much like a hungry constrictor snake.

Kratos could feel the squeeze become tighter, and the dragon lifted his tail towards his mouth, so that he and Kratos were eye level. Kratos could feel his lungs and ribs being squeezed by the enormous reptile, and summoned the first element he could think of when dealing with a cold-blooded creature.

Ice.

Using all the magic he could, he summoned the Ice of Poseidon to crystallize all around the coils, spreading down the creature's tail. Once the animal realized what was happening, it shook its tail in panic, which caused a great portion of it to shatter, freeing Kratos along with it.

The monster bellowed in pain, and Kratos, using the Wings of Icarus to ride upon the shockwave caused by the creature's tail shattering, flew forward and leapt underneath the dragon's underbelly, right underneath its throat. Sinking in the Blades of Chaos, Kratos slid down the great reptile, opening its skin as he went, until he finally reached the bottom. Once the creature tried to move, its insides spilled all over the ground.

Lucthar slipped and fell upon the creatures blood, and scrambled to get up. Just as he regained his composure, Lucthar turned to his amulet, ready to summon another one of Ireland's horrific wonders, however when he looked forward to see where Kratos was, there was a wonder of Greece waiting for him.

"Now face my reptilian minion!" said Kratos.

Kratos held the Head of Euryale in front of Lucthar, and Luchtar was staring straight into the monster's eyes. Before he could summon any minions from the Thoghairmcloiche, Lucthar felt his skin harden all over, and within seconds, was nothing more than a statue, an ironic monument to his own divinity.

Kratos ripped the collar from Lucthar's neck, and stuffed it in his pocket. Summoning the Barbarian Hammer, Kratos took a mighty swing, and Lucthar was nothing more than a pile of rocks. Kratos swung again and again, pulverizing Lucthar into pebbles and dust.

As expected, Gatherer came to collect what was left of Luchtar, and Kratos revived himself from the green, blue, white, gold and blood orbs that emerged from his victory. Kratos tore the Thoghairmcloiche from the collar that Luchtar wore it upon, and threw it into his inventory.

Pele and Dorndair appeared once again by Kratos' side.

"Ye did it lad!" said Dorndair. "Another one o' the Irish war gods laid to rest eternal! I say 'tis time fer a drink!"

"Enough about drinking for now." said Kratos. "What of this…this… _Thoghairmcloiche…_he speaks of?"

"Oh aye, the Thoghairmcloiche." said Dorndair. "Well ye see, when ye come across beings such as meself that'll serve ye, including some gods and goddesses, ye can store 'em inside the Thoghairmcloiche, and summon 'em when you need!"

"Is that so?" said Kratos.

"Aye!" said Dorndair. "And when we part ways from Ireland you and I, I ask that ye allow me passage into the Thoghairmcloiche, for 't may be me only way back home, and I can mayhap be of assistance elsewhere on your journey."

"Very well." said Kratos. "Get in then."

"Not yet lad, for the Eyes of Dalbeach seem to have one more destination fer ye upon the Emerald Isle." said Dorndair.

Dorndair set the eyes upon the ground, and they pointed in a direction that Dorndair seemed to expect, but did not like the look of.

"O my, 'tis not a foe I would want te be facin Kratos." said Dorndair. "For yer next stop be in Donegal, where you will face, I fear, one of the Fomorians."

(Check out character artwork from this book at under RealPMP's folder "God of War – Eternal Claim")


End file.
